Figuring You Out
by romancelover12
Summary: Tessa knew from the start that she was different from other kids. Now, she enters a new school. From the start, Tessa knows that this isn't a regular school with regualr kids. All of the people in this school have strange markings, uncanny strength, and brave airs. Can Tessa figure out what these people are, and in the meanwhile, can she figure out who she is, too?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Cassandra Clare or any of the characters except for Lydia, Emily and Julie:)**

It was the first day of school and Tessa was scared. Ever since her mother and father had died, she had lived alone with her aunt. Although her aunt was related to her, Tessa felt no mother-daughter relationship. It was almost like living in an orphanage, like in her books, there was someone who took care of you, but they didn't care.

Tessa took a deep breath and timidly walked in through the gilded doors of the school. The Institute was a prestigious school that only accepted certain students. Tessa was on the waiting list until a student dropped out due to "family issues". Well, that was in the past and this was the present. At all of Tessa's previous schools, she had made little to no friends and she was always the last person picked to do anything. Even though Tessa was slightly a loner, she didn't care… she just put her nose back into her books and let her mind drift away with Darcy, Elizabeth, and Jane…

As she walked inside, she felt self-conscious. All of the students inside had a friend, someone who they could talk to, a confident. Tessa was alone. As she bent over to find her schedule in her scuffed-up school bag, someone bumped into her from behind.

"Get out of my way, you loser." A sharp, high-pitched voice rang out from behind Tessa. Tessa turned around and saw a beautiful girl with glamorous blond hair and sparkling eyes that shimmered like jewels. Even though her facial features were pretty, her attitude and scowl weren't.

"Excuse me. We have to add more lip-gloss. Move out." The girl spoke again, and Tessa could vaguely see a group of 5 girls behind her, all pretty, but none more beautiful than the main girl. Tessa knew that she should move, but she couldn't.

"Is she like dumb or something?" the beautiful girl said to her posse, as they all pushed past Tessa and, in the process, knocked Tessa to the ground. Tessa was speechless, she didn't know that bullying could happen at this elite school… it was a regular thing at the other, less elite schools that she had attended, but this was… just a shock.

"Are you OK?" A delicate, strong voice came from behind her. Not like the previous girl's snobby voice, this voice sounded genuine and kind. Tessa turned around and faced a boy, around her age, with light blond hair and pale blue eyes that glimmered like pieces of the sky. He was cute.

He helped her up and Tessa realized that he was uncannily strong when he pulled her up just with his own strength.

"Thank you, oh so much." Tessa gratefully babbled, unaware that she was saying more than she should have uttered.

"It's nothing… Jessamine is always bullying students… Oh…. By the way, my name is James Carstairs, but everyone just calls me Jem." The boy was acting so modest and acted so welcoming, that contrary to her first thought, Tessa thought that there was actually a chance that she would like this new school.

"Hi, Jem… My name is Tessa and I am new here…" Tessa had to stammer out the words. She wasn't a flirter and had actually had little contact with boys. All of her previous schools had been all girl schools and the girls at those schools weren't allowed to even TALK to boys.

"So… Tessa… can I see your schedule… I can help you around your classes if you want…" Jem blushed as he said this, making his pale cheeks flare out in color. Before this, Tessa thought that he had a darker tone of flesh, but his true paleness was revealed when he flushed. Tessa shrugged and then handed the cream colored paper to Jem's outstretched hand. After a moment's silence, and Jem scanning the paper quickly, his eyes made contact with her.

"You have all the same classes as me, so I can show you where they are, if you want, sort of like a guide to the school." Jem staged the statement like a question, inquiring if she'd actually want a boy to walk her to all of her classes, to take her everywhere in the school… to hang out with her. Tessa thought over everything for a second, and then looked into Jem's blue eyes.

"Of course, I'd like you to be my guide… where do we start?" Tessa was trusting in Jem, since he was the first person who was actually nice. It was extremely rare for Tessa to be this trusting in someone… and that someone was a boy!

Jem smiled and flushed once more as he guided Tessa down the spacious hallway and into a large classroom. Inside the room were about 10 desks.

"Why are there so little desks in the classroom?" Tessa shyly inquired, terrified to have actually uttered something. Jem smiled kindly.

"Well, since this school is exclusive, we only let 10 kids in… I think that the people we let in this year, if I'm not mistaken, are you, me, Cecily, Jessamine, Gideon, Gabriel, Lydia, Emily, Julie, and Will." Jem spoke the last name with such love and humor that Tessa just HAD to inquire after it.

"Err… Jem… who in the world is Will… I mean you spoke his name with such love and reverence…" Tessa felt so awkward saying it, and the entire time she said it, Jem was staring at her whether with shock, repulsiveness… or… Tessa's thoughts were cut off by Jem's words.

"Will? Oh, Will is my best friend. We've been best friends since we were 12 and still, we are as thick as thieves." Jem gave an unconscious smile at the thought of Will. Then, his thoughts drifted back to the current present.

"We should find a seat… this class will start in approximately 2 minutes." Jem checked his watch for reassurance and then gave a sturdy, curt nod. The only thing that was even slightly wrong with the picture was that there was no one else in the classroom.

"Err…" Tessa started to ask a question about the lack of students, but Jem, for some reason, knew what she was going to utter.

"They are coming… It is just the horrible first day of school throws everyone off…" Jem seemed to know everything. As soon as Tessa sat down in the empty desk to the right of Jem, a horde of kids poured in. She recognized Jessamine with her posse, there also was a pair of blonde boys with piercing green eyes that seemed to bore into her skin, and finally there was a pair of siblings. A boy and a girl, both with ebony hair and electric blue eyes. The boy sat to the left of Jem, and the girl sat directly behind the boy… They looked beautiful and perfect… perhaps more than Jessamine and her posse's beauty added up together.

Just as everyone was getting situated, a pretty lady walked in the room… no older than 25 with flaming red hair and two beautiful hazel eyes. Her figure was slim, but she had an obvious cording muscle that all of the students in the academy seemed to have.

She stood up straight in front of a beautiful mahogany desk, situated in the front of the classroom and cleared her throat to show the kids that she was ready to talk.

"Welcome, students… to the first day of your training."


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of Cassandra Clare's characters :(**

As Tessa bent over her math problems, she couldn't stop thinking about the breathtaking boy who sat right next to Jem… His black hair swayed her, his sharp eyes disarmed her, and his strong arms mystified her. As she was lost in her thoughts, she didn't hear Jem sneaking up on her.

"Hey… Tessa!" Jem's voice broke her out of her distant daydreaming.

"What… What… Oh… Hi Jem." Tessa flushed a little bit. She still wasn't used to boys, even though they had been through 2 periods together.

"So… Tessa… Next period is lunch and me, Will, Cecily, Gideon, and Gabriel are sitting together… would you care to join us?" Jem was so polite to ask her to sit by their table… Maybe this year she wouldn't have to be a loner like before… Maybe this year she could just have friends!

"I'd love to sit at your table, Jem… Thank you for being so considerate and asking!" She saw Jem smile as a grin formed on her face, transforming it from pale and terrified to rosy and actually extremely pretty.

Tessa didn't notice as Jem scrutinized her face carefully, memorizing every nook and cranny… she was too busy smiling.

Just as Tessa was getting back to Calculus work, a dissonant bell in the distance rang and she looked up. Everyone in the classroom was in the middle of or starting to shove their heavy-duty textbooks and pencils into their satchels and leave the room. Jem, however, was still standing at the front of Tessa's desk.

"Aren't you going to pack up?" Tessa wondered… Everyone at her old school was always craving lunch, shoving in front of her and other students to get to the front of the lunch line… Everyone would get there at some point; it was just a matter of who got there first… like a race.

Jem just smiled.

"I've already got all of my things packed up!" Jem grinned again and shoved his callused fingers into his pockets in a sheepish and kind of cute kind of way.

"Already? We had to do our Calculus work, though."

"I already finished." Jem was a mystery. He was so smart, so clueless, so kind, so… confusing to decipher. Tessa shoved her bulky book into her bag along with her pink pencil and stood up and handed the worksheet to the teacher.

"Shall we get going?" Jem was so courteous, holding the door for Tessa in a gallant and old-fashioned action. Tessa giggled and allowed Jem to lead her to the lunchroom making little quips and jokes along the way about the school, the kids, the teacher, etc.

Suddenly, they both reached the hustling, bustling lunchroom filled with many children and approximately 5 tables. Tessa was busy admiring the sky blue and blood red walls when she smelled something delicious.

"Yum! What's for lunch?" Tessa's stomach was rumbling and her mouth was watering. The only thing that she had had for breakfast was a cereal bar and some milk… she was too scared to eat anything else… she wasn't going to make that mistake again!

Tessa watched as Jem analyzed the board at the front of the large room.

"I think that it says that there is pizza, tater-tots, mashed potatoes, and steamed vegetables." Tessa started to envision the delectable food and practically pulled Jem to a line. It was improper, but this was an emergency!

Fortunately, the line was short and before long, Tessa ordered her food and grabbed a bottle of water. The school's tuition and food costs were paid for beforehand, so Tessa didn't have to type in her lunch number.

What a difference from her old schools!

Tessa waited for Jem to get his food, then she looked around uneasily… she couldn't see anyone she recognized from her classes (except for Jessamine and her friends), all of the rest of the kids were from higher grades and she didn't know them.

Suddenly, Jem started rapidly walking towards the far back of the room and beckoned to her to follow. Tessa diligently followed Jem like a dog following a bone.

Seated in the farthest table from the front were the black haired boy and girl, and the blond haired boys. Jem waved once at them and the entire table started vigorously waving at them… Tessa was surprised that their hands didn't fall off as she reached the table.

"Hi Jem…" All of the voices chorused a hello to Jem, then stared incredulously at Tessa with wary eyes.

"Oh… this is Tessa. She is the new girl and is sitting with us." Jem seemed like the leader of the group and had the last say.

Suddenly, the black haired boy whispered something to the black-haired girl and he broke out into chuckles… the black-haired girl scowled at him and looked upset at the boy.

"Will…" Jem's voice trailed off and Will stared in mock apology at Jem.

"Sorry, mate… I was just saying that I love how Tessa looks in that headband today… wasn't I, Cecily?" Will nudged the black haired girl beside him, so she could back up his response. Cecily just shook her head and scowled at Will.

"Will was just saying that he thinks that your shoes are so ugly that they should be chucked into Hyde Park and be fed to the ducks… But, personally, I love your wedges… I don't think boys know how much girls have to endure to look good." Cecily smiled warmly at Tessa and moved over one chair so Tessa could sit next to her.

The rest of the boys looked on, shocked at Cecily and Tessa's new friendship. Usually Cecily liked to hang out with boys, sports were her forte… not shoes, dresses, or makeup! What was going on?

"Err… Cecily…" Gabriel tried to get Cecily's attention but the two girls were rapidly talking about shoes and what the new fashion was with wedges.

"So… like I heard that rope wedges were in… I have the new Jimmy Choo wedges… the ones with the new red ribbon in them… OMG! Are those the new Prada wedges you have on?" Cecily was talking so fast that barely even Tessa could understand her.

Then, Cecily stopped momentarily to gobble up a bite of her mashed-potatoes and stare at the boys. Gideon, Gabriel, Will, and Jem were silently eating their lunches… not even trying to listen to the girls.

"Anyways… Tessa, do you want to come over to my house today and help me choose my outfit for tomorrow? I could come over to your house tomorrow and do the same to you?" Tessa was so happy to hear this… The first person ever who invited her over! She was shocked… shocked, but pleased.

The rest of the boys looked the same way… without the pleased part… all of the boys except for Jem who just looked pleased.

"But… Cecily, you said that you were going to go to the game with us today! It is the Rangers against the Dolphins and it is a HOME game. Come on, Cecily… You said that you were going to come to this game 2 months earlier and it is BASEBALL, your favorite sport. Please, Cecily!" Gabriel tried to beg Cecily, but Cecily's mouth was set in a firm line and no one could change the mind of a stubborn Cecily.

The chorus of 'please Cecily's' stopped and was replaced by the silence of chewing and silverware… and Cecily and Tessa's chatter… Well… mostly Cecily.

Suddenly, the bell rang, dismissing them to 3rd period. Cecily and Tessa compared schedules, and realized that they had no classes together.

"Aww… I'll see you later, Tessa… Meet you outside of school right after school… See you later… I've got math next. What are we doing today?" By the time that Tessa had an answer to all of Cecily's questions, Cecily was whisked away by Will to her next class and Jem was leading Tessa to her Social Studies class.

Tessa didn't even feel scared of boys anymore or have any not fitting in feeling anymore. All she could even think of was that she actually was invited to someone's house… she actually had friends… she was actually wanted.


	3. Chapter 3

Tessa fidgeted as she stood in front of the school. It was rather comical in a sense that she was terrified to go into the school in the morning, and now she really wanted to stay there. Tessa was worried about coming over to Cecily's house. It was a dream that she had yearned for, forever since she was a little girl of 7 years, and now that it was coming true…

She didn't dwell on this thought for long, because soon Cecily darted out of the building, her hair and dress both swaying simultaneously.

"Hey, Tessa! What's up? Are you ready to come over? I think Marcus is ready to drive us…" Cecily's voice trailed off as a sleek black limo pulled up to the sidewalk. Whoa… Cecily and Will's parents must be REALLY rich to afford a limo… and a driver!

Suddenly, a wiry man hopped out of the expensive car and opened a door for Cecily and Tessa. Tessa had never been inside a limo before and was awed. The inside was all purple velvet and there was a TV and a refrigerator inside!

Just as Tessa and Cecily were getting comfy on the plush seats, Will came barreling out of the school doors, followed quickly by Jem. Both were carrying long lacrosse sticks and extremely large gym bags.

"Wait for us!" Both boys were now speeding towards the departing limo and reaching for the brass doors of the car.

Once Marcus saw Will, he immediately stopped the car, but didn't have enough time to get out of the car and open the door for Will and Jem. The two boys just hopped in.

The instant Jem and Will got in; a terrible smell filled the car, like rotting feet. Before Tessa could comment on it, Cecily did.

"What's that distasteful scent? Will! Did you forget to change your socks after practice?" Cecily's voice sounded sharp and angry, but underneath all of that, Tessa could just hear the playful, sisterly love. Will stared at Cecily as if in shock.

"My personal hygiene is none of your business, my sister." Will's voice sounded proud and arrogant. Beside him, Jem put his face in his hands, concealing his growing smirk.

"Well… since you are my brother, think it is."

"Well it isn't."

"Yes it is."

"No it isn't."

"Yes it…" Just as Cecily was about to continue the childish argument, Jem cut her off.

"Well... let's not bicker like 5 year olds… Will… Cecily… Let's do our homework or talk about something… maybe sports?" Jem suggested this all in a nice, amiable kind of tone, but the undercurrent to his words was icy… as if there would be consequences for whoever defied him… Interesting.

Will and Cecily shared a glance, then started laughing heartily.

"What's so funny?" Jem didn't find anything funny about the situation and was blatantly confused on why the two siblings were sniggering.

"You always do you homework, Mr. Goody-two-shoes… You don't have any homework to finish." Will's voice was obviously comical when he said that, and for the first time… Tessa actually agreed with him.

Jem finished an entire 100-question Calculus paper in less than 20 minutes! Why would he have any homework, anyways?

Jem started blushing profoundly and Will, and Cecily had satisfied smirks on their faces.

"Well, why don't…" Jem's words were cut off by the arrival to Will and Cecily's mansion. The house was situated on a large property of land, so it could only be defined as a estate, there were rolling hills and huge pastures filled with flowers of various vibrant hues and tones.

"Home, sweet home!" Cecily's small, sweet voice grew sweeter as she stepped daintily out of the car, Jimmy Choo wedges not making a sound. Cecily beckoned to Tessa to get out of the limo and Tessa got out of the limo as quietly as she could, but failed as her Prada wedges slapped against the stone ground.

When Tessa looked at Cecily, Cecily had a frantic look in her eye and looked scared. Tessa was confused for a moment until she saw a plump lady running out of the house.

"Little, mistress… you don't have time to see your little friend… you have to get ready for the masquerade tonight… Your mother has informed you about this event weeks ago…" The plump lady chattered on without even acknowledging Tessa. While this was going on, Jem and Will were escaping from the limo, un-noticed by the plump lady who surely would've said the same thing to Will.

Tessa could see Cecily silently cursing Will and shaking a fist at him. Will just stuck his tongue out and ran to the house with his lacrosse gear and Jem in tow. They didn't get far and were stopped when they tried to get inside by a butler.

Served them right! Cecily was grinning with a malicious air as Will and Jem were towed from the door to where Tessa and Cecily were being lectured by the housemaid.

"So… little mistress. Get your little friend out of here. You… little mister. Your friend can stay, but only if he stays out of the way of the preparations." It was so unfair. How come Jem could stay and Tessa couldn't. Maybe it was because there was a girl/boy bias, or because Jem had been a long time friend… Tessa would never know.

Just as soon as Tessa was walking away, a tall elegant woman stepped out of the house.

"Wait." The woman's voice was like delicate rain, so beautiful and crystal-like in consistency. Tessa was amazed at the variety of actions that everyone did once they saw her. The housemaid instantly put her head down. Will and Cecily smiled and went running to hug her. Jem just smiled his amiable, trademark sweet smile. Tessa just stood there, unmoving and confused at who this glamorous woman was.

"Hello, Mother." Will intoned this phrase as if he had said it millions of times earlier.

"Will… Cecily… You do know that you have the masquerade ball tonight and must get ready…" The woman was still hugging her two children, not even noticing the wrinkles on her satin dress.

"Mommy… can Tessa stay? Please?" Cecily pleaded in her most girl-like pleading voice that she could muster up. Will and Cecily's mother looked over Tessa with an inquiring stare, until she gazed back into Cecily's face.

"Well… I suppose your friend can stay… Abigail?" The chubby lady housemaid who had told Tessa that she had to leave stood to attention, but still didn't dare to look into her mistress's face.

"Yes, ma'am?" Abigail response was very quiet and barely audible, but apparently Will and Cecily's mother had VERY good hearing.

"Help Cecily's friend by doing her hair and makeup… I do suppose Cecily will find adequate shoes, accessories, and a dress for her dear friend." With that, Cecily and Will's mother disappeared back inside the house leaving a grinning Cecily, Will, and Jem.

"Wait… Cecily… Why would I need to be all dressed up?" Tessa didn't connect the dots… the tall woman disarmed her.

"Duh, Tessa…. You are going to go to the masquerade ball tonight."


	4. Chapter 4

As Tessa swirled around in her gorgeous emerald Vera Wang dress, she didn't feel pretty… she felt beautiful. Along with her dress, Cecily loaned Tessa a pair of white petal wedges along with diamond flower earrings and a matching diamond necklace. Abigail had fixed her hair so that it seeped up in an elegant up do and was framed with diamond pins. As Tessa glanced at her reflection in the gilded mirror a dark streak raced through the doorway and stopped right next to her.

"Wow… Tessa… you look beautiful, you look like a movie star." Cecily's voice rose up in awe, making her seem as if she were gaping like a fish. Tessa was almost giggling as she looked at what Cecily was wearing.

As Tessa glanced over what Cecily was wearing, she almost gasped herself. Cecily was gorgeous. The salmon pink puffy dress popped against her tanned skin and the heavy red ruby necklace framed her braided locks gloriously. Her shoes were almost a Jimmy Choo replica of Tessa's.

"Looking pretty good, yourself!" Tessa knew that her compliment was an understatement. For the first time ever, Tessa saw Cecily blush pink.

"Oh…Tessa.. You are too sweet." Suddenly, a huge ringing sound resonated thorough out the building and Cecily jumped up… literally.

"We have to go, Tessa… The party is starting… You don't want to see what my mother is like mad!" Both Tessa and Cecily shared a secret giggle and linked elbows and skipped out the door.

After about 2 corridors and 3 sets of stairs, the two girls came to a set of two double doors. Both doors were gilded with gold and edged with woodwork and brass filigree.

"This is it, Tessa. Behind these doors is are 2 large staircases and at the bottom is the party. We'll have to separate, so you go down the left and I'll go down the right. We'll meet at the bottom. Do an odd pose at the top. Whatever… at least that's what Mother taught me! I haven't had much practice at it… I've wormed out of all of my other parties… it fact the last party I went to was 3 months ago!" As usual, Cecily rambled on as she grabbed a door with a slim hand.

Tessa took a deep breath as she stepped out of the dark corridors into the lights. As she looked down from the balcony like thing alongside of Cecily, she could approximately see about 200 people below her, all staring up at her. She couldn't recognize any of them, because they all blurred up at her. Tessa was just staring down at them as Cecily shoved her. Tessa stumbled a bit as she wrapped her slim fingers around the mahogany rail as she placed a foot on the stair. Then, another. Then, another. Finally, she made it down and disappeared into the crowd.

As Tessa merged into the group, she vainly searched for Cecily… there were just so many people that she couldn't pick out Cecily with her pink dress. Suddenly, as Tessa was backing up to avoid getting hit by a beautiful, scarred, passing waitress, she stumbled on one of the floor's oriental rugs.

As she was freefalling backwards, a sturdy arm caught her. As Tessa whirled around, she stared at two electric blue eyes. Will.

"Hey… Don't fall head over heels over me." Will's joke was lost on Tessa as she melted into his arms. His grasp on her was so tight, his arms so muscular. His dark wavy black hair, so shiny…

"Will! Stop attempting to kiss Tessa! This is a par-tay after all! Come awn Tessa!" Cecily's beautiful voice rung loud and high as she pushed in-between Will and Tessa, grabbing Tessa's arm in the process. For the first time, Tessa was disappointed to hear Cecily's voice. As Tessa got pulled away by Cecily, she never saw Will's eyes boring into her, watching her get pulled away.

"Isn't this party smashing?" Cecily's voice seemed more energetic and happy than while they were at the staircase. Tessa figured that it was probably the bunches of boys and young men staring at Cecily. Little did she know, but some of them were staring at her, too.

"Yeah… it is pretty cool." Tessa's voice wasn't as excited or energetic as Cecily's… by a mile.

"Isn't he hot?" Cecily spoke in a shy, reserved manner, quite unlike her usual self. Cecily quickly pointed to a large group of boys. Tessa attempted to pick out which one her friend was pointing to, but she just couldn't.

"Who?"

"Him… Gabriel…" Cecily's voice grew dreamy then, instantly cracked as Gabriel caught her staring at him. Gabriel waved a few times, then started towards them. Tessa could feel Cecily's arm tense above her's.

"Hey, Cecily… Tessa, is it?" Gabriel's voice sounded odd, and Tessa could evidently see the crack in his voice as he spoke Cecily's name. Tessa internally smiled as she could basically see that Cecily and Gabriel would end up as a couple. Tessa decided to give the two some space, and she walked away to curtained off corner near a side of the room.

Just as Tessa was walking into the curtained area, she heard a little shuffle from behind her. She quickly turned around and flushed a bright crimson. Behind the curtained area was Jem, with just a pair of pants and a dress shirt on. As soon as Jem saw her, he flushed, his blush deeper than usual, because of his unnaturally pale skin.

"Oh… hey, Tessa. I didn't really expect you back here…" Jem's voice trailed off as he scrabbled for his silken blazer that was on a window ledge. Jem quickly grabbed the silken cloth from the ledge and jammed it on over his crisp, starched shirt.

Tessa decided to ease the awkward tension that was forming.

"Hey, Jem!" Tessa tried to make her voice sound not surprised, but she truly was. Jem was not expected behind a curtain, hiding from a party. Jem was expected to be alongside Will, partying. Jem was a popular boy at school… the intelligent, kind, friendly, social one. Not the reserved, shy, timid one.

"What are you doing over here? I thought that you'd be enjoying the party a bit more. You know… with all of your friends." Tessa decided to voice her thoughts clearly. She knew that Jem wouldn't blow up or get unsettled at her if she did… Jem was just too kind natured to do that.

"I should ask you the same thing." Jem cleverly avoided the question.

Tessa sighed deeply and shook out her long, chocolate locks with a whip of her head. Then, she smiled, her rose hued lips softening until they shaped words.

"So… if you aren't doing something productive, shall we dance?" Tessa's words were both questioning and beautiful with an undercurrent of timid. She had never asked a boy to dance before, but Jem was different. She felt like she could do things with him that she did no other boy. Jem, in turn, looked astonished but pleased.

"I… I… I would love to." Jem held out one hand to Tessa and she grasped it and felt his soft, strong fingers clench against hers, wrapping them with warmth. Jem's other hand drew back the velvet curtain and the lights were there again, gleaming brightly.

Tessa could see Gabriel and Cecily off in the crowd, whispering and murmuring together with Cecily's occasional brush of Gabriel's cheek. She also saw the waitress who she nearly tripped on, weaving around the dancers with an elegant sort of grace, her poufy opal colored skirt floating like a cloud. She could also see Will and Jessamine dancing together in the distance. At this, she felt a twinge of jealousy. Jessamine didn't deserve Will. But, that shouldn't matter then. All that matter then was Jem.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of Cassandra Clare's Characters:(**

The instant Tessa was on the dance floor, swept up by Jem's arms, she felt like a different person. All she noticed was Jem. None of the other glamorous people with their handsome escorts mattered. None of the lavish decorations with the beautiful flowers and warm candles mattered. Not even the floor she was standing on or the sky she was gazing upon mattered. Only Jem.

"So… how are you enjoying this dance, Tess?" Tess? No one had ever called her Tess before. Not her aunt. Nor her mother or father. But, Tess had a nice ring to it.

"Quite nice, Jem… What about you?"

"It is very excellent. Just look at Cecily and Gabriel!" At this, Tessa swiveled her head around to see Cecily, and quickly swiveled it back. Cecily and Gabriel were in an extremely intimate hug that ended in a detailed kiss that Tessa didn't even want to describe.

"Oh, wow." Tessa's brief words couldn't describe the blatant shock that she had received from witnessing that event.

Cecily must have really pushed that crush on full force. Tessa had to turn away.

"Cecily must be really into Gabriel. I wonder why she hasn't expressed her feelings to him earlier…" Jem's voice trailed off, as if he was pondering that fact deeply.

Tessa murmured the same voiced thought, but as she had only known her new friends for one day, she couldn't really say.

"Ok… getting off of that subject…" Tessa's voice trailed off as Jem interrupted her.

"You look beautiful." Jem's sincerity showed her that he genuinely meant what he said, so Tessa's ivory cheeks flushed.

"So do you." Tessa returned the compliment. Jem blushed and was opening his mouth to saying something when there was the horrid screech of a microphone.

"Hello… Testing… Testing…" The pure voice of Cecily's mother came over the microphone, but unfortunately, the screechiness of it didn't subside. So, the entire speech was coated with shrill sounds like a dying cow.

"We are gathered here today to celebrate not one special event, but two." At this, the crowd came into frenzied cheers and screams.

"The first is my First Annual Fall Holiday Party. Each season, I throw an annual party for that season. I suspect that you all have attended some or all of them…" The crowd gave a deafening roar again, and Tessa covered her ears with her glove-covered paws.

"And the second is a very special event… My husband and I are going on a fall viewing tour of the Caribbean. We shall leave tomorrow." Like all of her other statements, this one was met with a cheer, yet Tessa could see Cecily break out of Gabriel's grasp and gasp at her mother with shock. Tessa suspected that her mother didn't tell her about this earlier. Tessa could also see Will immediately let go of Jessamine with distaste and face palm his face into his hand. For an instant, Tessa actually felt bad for Jessamine as her pretty lemon and lace dress crumpled up when the delicate fabric made contact with the marble floor. That must have hurt.

"So, thank you… Have fun! Remember, there are refreshments in the 2nd foyer… the one to the right of this room." And with this, the static stopped and the room echoed once more with the graceful music of the various instruments strategically placed in the room.

"Oh, my… Have you heard of this?" Jem's voice sounded startled. Then, without waiting for a reply, he started forwards, towards a distressed Will and Cecily. Both of the siblings were huddled together with their parents, and from even across the room, Tessa could hear their bickering getting higher and higher until…

"OK. Our decision is made. This is final." The father looked so awfully mad as he screamed those words and stomped away from the siblings with the mother. Will and Cecily looked so timid and small as they were left in their parent's dust.

Tessa had a choice. Either stays where she was and is a wallflower while the girl who invited her sulked, or follow Jem and comfort Cecily to the best of her ability. After pondering for a few seconds, Tessa came upon a conclusion. There was no decision to make. Tessa would undoubtedly go to Cecily.

Tessa quickly made her way through the thick crowd. Accidentally stepping on vibrant, expensive dresses in the process of attempting to keep up to Jem's large stride. She was basically gasping out 'sorry' and 'please excuse me' right until the point when she crashed right into Will.

As she stumbled backwards, Will caught her, like he did previously that night. The only difference was that Will had an indignant expression on his face, but she thought that she saw it soften at the sight of her… But, of course, she couldn't be sure. To avoid any plausible confusion, Tessa used the rest of her strength to push herself out of Will's arms and back on the ground.

"So… what did your parents say to you?" Jem obviously desired to find out what so evidently unease Will and Cecily.

"Isn't it obvious?" Cecily's answer to Jem's question clearly showed that she wanted to avoid the topic.

"Just tell him, Cecily." Will's voice was clear and didn't quaver.

"Oh… Our parents are leaving us to go to the Caribbean until the winter party. They never miss their season parties. They are going to ditch us with one of the housekeepers." Unlike Will's voice, Cecily's voice quavered like she was about to cry and break out into tears at any second.

"What?" Tessa was shocked. How could two perfectly good seeming parents just ditch their children and take a trip? Perhaps it had a perfectly good solution, so Tessa decided to speak to the parents about it. Little did Tessa know, it would be much, much more difficult than that.

Tessa was striding towards Cecily and Will's parents with an air of bravery and determination. Will and Cecily and Jem didn't notice her leaving the group due to her silent footsteps and barely noticeable stance. Just as Tessa was reaching the parents, the scarred maid accidentally stepped in front of Tessa and in the process of attempting to cross Tessa's path, the maid tripped and fell on the rug. The tray that she was clutching spilled, splaying scones and juice all over the floor.

"Oh, my goodness… I am so, dreadfully sorry for that… I can help you pick it up!" Tessa was blubbering, her voice quavering with the horror of her making a mistake. By this time, everyone in the room had turned to see the cause of the dull cluttering noise that was caused by the steel tray hitting the rug. Tessa could see Cecily and Will's slight, watery smiles turn into ghastly looks of horror as they faced Tessa. She could see Jem face-palm his forehead into his hand.

Then, she could see the people who she was just going to talk to give her a scornful look of disgust and walk in the other direction from her. She also gave a notice to the fact that her friends were racing towards her, pushing through the crowd.

"Tessa… Are you OK?" For the first time, Tessa realized that she was on the ground, alongside with the tray and the beautiful dress that Cecily loaned her was ruined with crumbs and purple liquid.

"Oh… Cecily. I am so sorry… I didn't mean to ruin your dress… I mean… I was going to talk to your parents… And…" Tessa stuttered, her voice catching with fear and horror at the damage at which she did to Cecily's dress and the family's rug.

Everything in the entire house all looked awfully expensive. Tessa couldn't even think to what the rug would cost!

Suddenly, Tessa felt a tap on her shoulder. She looked around and saw an elegant face. Once framed with a smile, now it was framed with a frown.

"You said you wanted to talk to me… Follow me. Now." Cecily's mother didn't sound pure anymore… her voice sounded annoyed and harsh. Tessa gulped down a dose of fear as she timidly followed Cecily's mother. For some reason, Tessa didn't think that they were going to talk about what she initially thought they were going to talk about.


End file.
